"Shedid not have far to travel and decided not to wait until Serle sent for her butbegan her journey here within days after we left her behind." Drogo pulledher to her feet, tugged off the blanket, and tossed it on the bed.
"Andshe means to marry Serle right now?"
"Withinthe hour."
Shewas so stunned by the news that she blindly allowed Drogo to dress her, brushher hair, and even wash her face. It was not until they were on his horse andtrotting toward the large encampment outside the city that her confusion beganto clear. She easily dismissed the pang of hurt she felt that her mother hadgone to Serle first upon her arrival. If nothing else, Vedette could not knowwhere she and Drogo were. Other things troubled her, however, such as the speedof the marriage and how her siblings might be feeling about it. She realizedthat the talk she had had with her mother when she had found her again had notresolved all her questions.
"Therehas been no courtship," she said.
"Theycourted each other twenty years ago," Drogo said.
"Andboth of them have grown and changed a great deal since then."
"True.Eada, there are more things that are good about this marriage than bad. Do notforget that Serle and your mother are not children anymore. Who would knowbetter what they want or need than they? Also, your mother is a widow in a landthat will bear the scars of war for years to come. Not only has she lost herhusband, but her home. Do you wish her to spend the rest of her days hiding ina nunnery?"
"No,but that does not mean she must do this right now. Averil and Ethelred shouldbe given time to come to know Serle."
"Theywill have to do that after the wedding. Your mother needs the protection of aman. I know you are aware of Serle's worth even though he is not a rich man andwill probably never hold any lands."
"Itis not Serle's worth I question. I like Serle."
"Thenyour brother and sister will, too. Even though Serle is surprised that lovecould survive all the years they have been apart, he does love your mother. Letthat ease your mind. He will protect her and provide for her and for thechildren. Your mother clearly needs and wants that, for she traveled here tofind him, not even waiting for him to send for her or help her make thejourney."
Eadawas still mulling over his words when they halted before Serle's tent. Shedismounted, chuckling at how nervous Serle appeared, but he ceased his pacingand hurried to greet her and Drogo. She greeted him politely but then went totalk to Averil and Ethelred, who sat with Brun, Godwin, and the increasingnumber of children May and Ivo were collecting.
"Howmany do they have now?" Eada asked as she sat on a log next to Brun, hersiblings on the ground in front of her. "By the time we reached London,May and Ivo had taken in nine children. There are more than that here."
"Ibelieve there are fourteen—if you do not include Welcome and Eric, who stay mostlywith Godwin," replied Brun. "I told Drogo that he had best get hislands and flee to them before he needs to build a castle just for May and Ivoand all the orphans and cast-off babes they have taken in."
"Cast-offbabes?"
"Theyhave stepped out in the morning to find babes left in front of their tent.Three so far. I believe they are the unwanted spawn of the women who follow thearmy."
Eadashook her head, saddened by the tale, but only briefly. May and Ivo would givethe babes all the love they would need. She turned her attention to hersiblings and was not surprised to see them constantly looking toward Serle.
"Heis a good man," she said, and they both looked at her and flushed withguilt.
"Doesit not trouble you that she can wed another so soon after our father'sdeath?" asked Averil, her hurt and confusion trembling in her voice.
"Fatherhas been dead for many months; but, yes, it does, a little. I will cure myselfof that, however, for Mother's sake. As I rode here, I was torn by manyemotions, none of them good; but, I am overcoming them. This is not the land weonce knew and everything is going to be changing. You cannot go home again.Some Norman will soon preside over all we had. Mother needs the protection of aman; she needs a place to live and someone to provide for her. She is now aSaxon woman alone living in the midst of a huge Norman army. If she is the wifeof a Norman knight, she will be as safe as she can be in such troubled times.So will you."
"Shesays she loves him."
"Icannot judge the truth of that; but if she says so, then it must be so. Come,Averil, she loved and honored our father while he was alive. What harm is thereif she now turns back to a man she loved in her youth?"
"Doyou really feel that way?"
Afterlooking deep into her heart, Eada nodded, realizing that talking to Drogo andthen her siblings had finally calmed her doubts, hurts, and fears. "Yes.And trust me when I say that Serle truly is a good man, kind and honorable. Ifyou but give him a chance, you can have a good life with him."
"Thatis what Brun told us," Ethelred said, nodding at Brun.
"Suchkind words for a Norman," Eada murmured, smiling at a frowning Brun.
"Ispeak the truth when I see it." He grinned when she laughed at his petulanttone. "It is not always easy to say, especially about a Norman. I stillfight with my anger."
"Butyou can see beyond it, and that is good." She looked back at Averil."It is a lesson you should learn."
"Iwill try," Averil murmured. "It has to be a better life than thenunnery."
